Secrets of the City
by MelodyofLives
Summary: When Kanda is abandoned by his parents, he is saved by Allen who brings him into a world that is easily overlooked by the city. Kanda/Fem. Allen AU.
1. Chapter 1

It was a sad dreary evening with grey clouds that cried over the big city. People raced down streets in their cars trying to get home so they could get out of the rain. No one took notice of a little boy sitting against a wall with his knees propped up and arms curled around himself protectively. No, that wasn't true, people did notice him but as soon as they saw his dirty clothes and long matted black hair they moved on without another look. It was just another orphan among all the others in their minds.

His parents had abandoned him a couple of days ago for an abundance of excuses and he hadn't left the spot since. His body yearned for food and water but he stayed in his spot. He was waiting but he didn't know for what. Maybe it was for someone to notice him, to help him. Maybe for his parents to change their minds and come back. Or perhaps he was just waiting to die because he didn't want to live his life as an orphan. Whatever the reason was, he stayed in the same position and stared forward with blank black eyes, not really looking at anything particular.

Suddenly a shadow passed over him and he looked up to see a girl with short white hair and startling grey eyes that seemed to stare right through him standing in front of him. She was very dirty and she wasn't wearing any shoes but the boy couldn't help but think that she was the most beautiful person he had ever seen. It was her eyes, the way they stared down at him unjudgingly, reflecting all his feeling back at him, tell him silently that she understood him.

"You look cold, here come with me and I'll take you somewhere warm and safe." The girl said with a soft voice as she kneeled down and placed a hand on the boy's arm. The warmth that spread throughout the limb didn't go unnoticed.

"Why?" The boy asked, wanting to know why she had noticed him when no one else had for two days. The girl tilted her head and bit her lip in thought.

"Because no one should have to be alone." She finally answered simply and she gently grabbed both the boy's arms and pulled him up. Then she grabbed his hand and began to lead him away from his desolate spot. The boy tightened his hand around hers like it was his only life line, which in a way it was.

"What's your name?" The boy inquired quietly and she gave him a smile that could rival the sun.

"Allen. What's yours?"

"Yu Kanda, although I prefer to be called Kanda." The girl nodded in understanding.

"Well, Kanda, it's a pleasure to meet you. How old are you?"

"13."

"I'm 12 but I'll be 13 soon!" Allen said proudly.

"Were you abandoned too?" Kanda asked, wanting to keep the girl talking even if it meant he had to too. He generally hated talking to people it was one of the reasons he was abandoned; he was anti-social.

"Yes," Allen responded without a trace of dejection in her voice. "Everyone you're about to meet is an orphan or homeless."

"Ah." Kanda said quietly, silently pleased that he wasn't the only one who had been rejected by society.

"Don't worry, you'll fit right in. We are all family," Allen said wistfully, coming to a stop. "We're here."

Kanda looked up to see an old abandoned building that looked like it had once been a shop. It was two stories high and all the windows and door was boarded up with rotting boards of wood.

"Is it safe?" Kanda couldn't help asking and Allen giggled.

"Yes. It's been abandoned for years and I think the city forgot about it since no one's torn it down yet." Allen explained as she led him to the side of the building where there was a hole through the wall that was just big enough for them to slip through. The entire first floor that they entered into was one giant room with a dozen or so people huddling in the middle. Most of them were little kids but some were teenagers around his age and older and there were even a couple of adults.

"You're back!" A little kid cried as she hugged Allen who let go of Kanda's hand to hug her back.

"Mei-Ling this is Kanda, Kanda this Mei-Ling although you can call her Mei." Allen introduced.

"Hi." The girl greeted cheerfully with a smile.

"Che." Was Kanda's only reply making the girl pout.

"He's just nervous. Why don't you go get him some food I'm sure that will cheer him up." Allen said and the girl nodded before she ran up some stairs that Kanda hadn't noticed before. Kanda allowed himself to be led by Allen to the circle of strangers who all gave Allen a smile and some sort of greeting. "Hello everyone! This is Kanda and he'll be joining us from now on!"

There was a chorus of greetings but Kanda ignored them, glaring at anyone who came to close to him. The only one he wanted to talk to was Allen, not all these strangers. Mei-Ling appeared with a small loaf of bread which Kanda gratefully accepted. As he ate he watched Allen begin to tuck everyone into old ragged blankets and towels, making sure the youngest were in the middle of the circle and the older the farthest.

"It's an unspoken rule," Allen explained when she saw that Kanda was watching her. "The youngest or the sick get to stay in middle where it's warmest since they get sick more easily."

"Smart." Kanda commented as he finished the last of the bread. It wasn't enough to fill him but his body was still happy to get some form of substance in it. Allen walked back over to him, a blanket in her hand.

"We should get some sleep. This blanket's big enough to share if you want," She said shyly, looking a little embarrassed. "Or if it makes you uncomfortable I can try to find another one.

"It's fine." Kanda reassured as he crawled under the hole filled blanket beside her and lying down so he faced her.

"Good night Kanda, I hope you have sweet dreams." Allen chimed with a tired smile before she closed her eyes. Kanda blinked in surprise. He never thought he would hear those words ever again, the last and only person to say them was his Mom.

"Same to you." Kanda whispered softly and he watched Allen in wonder. To think, earlier he had been expecting to die but this girl had noticed and him and even brought him to a place he could live in. He would never have a normal life or be back with his parents ever again but if this angel stayed with him, he didn't mind.

"Thank you." Kanda whispered faintly so she wouldn't hear before he closed his eyes and went to sleep.

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><p>Please review and tell me this is worth continuing. I'm a little self concious about this story.<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

Beta'd by the lovely In a silent night

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><p>Kanda woke up to soft shuffling sounds and hushed whispers and when he managed to force his eyes open he saw everyone awake as if an alarm clock had gone off, some of them already up and folding their blankets or towels, piling them neatly in a corner. Rubbing his eyes and yawning, Kanda frowned when he saw that Allen wasn't beside him and he scanned the room urgently, relieved when he spotted her helping a couple of kids fold their blanket. Kanda folded his own blanket quickly and stacked in the corner with others before he joined Allen who gave him a cheerful smile. Even in the early morning when the sun was barely up in the sky she smiled.<p>

"Good morning Kanda." Allen greeted, happily accepting his help in folding the blankets that were too big for the little kids to do themselves.

"Thank you Allen and Kanda." The kids chimed before they began to run around, chasing each other and giggling happily. It astounded Kanda to see these homeless kids who barely had a thing to their name be so happy.

"Okay everyone, settle down!" A Chinese man commanded and everyone went silent and looked at him expectantly. Kanda inspected what was obviously**,** an authority figure closely. He was definantly an adult in his late 20's or so with short black hair with an odd blue tint, black narrow eyes with glasses, wore a dingy white lab coat and a white barrette.

"That's Komui," Allen whispered in Kanda's ear. "He tells us what we need and what group gets what for the day."

"Good morning everyone! Today group A will be in charge of gathering food and please, remember to try to get food that won't go bad so we can store the leftovers. Group B, try to find clothes and blankets because it's been getting colder lately. Just as a reminder, it is group A's turn to take a shower." Komui finished and everyone began to leave the building.

"What group am I in?" Kanda asked Allen.

"You can be in group A with me," Allen informed him as they left the building. "Let's get a shower first. Usually the entire group would go together in the afternoon but since it's your first time I should show you how it works beforehand."

"How can we take a shower?" Kanda asked and Allen gave him a smile.

"You'll see." Allen brought Kanda to the back of the house that stood besides the abandoned building. It was a two story house with a rather well kept garden full of flowers and berry bushes that were beginning to wilt due to the cold weather. He cautiously followed Allen to a huge tree that was so high it went past the balcony that was on the second floor. He gaped at Allen when the girl began to climb it, skillfully climbing the branches with practiced ease until she reached the balcony where she looked down at Kanda.

"Come on, don't worry the branches are a lot stronger than they seem." Allen called out and Kanda began climbing, wondering what this was all leading too. It took him a lot longer than Allen had and he wasn't as graceful, often scratching his hands and legs but Allen watched him patiently, knowing better than to give him any help. She hadn't known him for long but she knew him enough to know that he didn't like help because of his pride.

Finally Kanda managed to climb onto the balcony and Allen gave him a congratulatory smile before she slid the balcony door open and walked inside. She saw Kanda's dubious look and chuckled slightly before she yanked him in, closing the door behind him.

"He always leaves the door open so we use his shower and bathroom when he goes to work," Allen explained as she led Kanda through the living room and into the hallway where there was a spacious bathroom. "Usually we take showers in groups of girls and boys to save water instead of individually just letting you know. So starting the day after tomorrow you're going to have to shower with the other boys."

"Che." Kanda didn't like the idea**,** but he supposed it did make sense and it would take a lot of water for everyone to take individual showers. Allen gave him an apologetic look before she slipped out of the bathroom, closing the door on her way out.

It felt strange, using someone else's bathroom without their permission or even their knowledge but it was a much better alternative than being dirty and grimy every single day. Kanda tried to make the shower as brief as possible, using very little soap he could, even using it to wash his hair because he figured that it would be harder to notice some soap missing than shampoo.

When he was done, he stepped out and glanced at his reflection. His skin was pinkish from the warm water instead of his usual pale complex and his wet hair that reached the small of his back framed his face. His hair was always an annoyance to clean and groom but he hated having scissors held by strangers near his neck so he never got haircuts. Kanda looked away and put on his clothes, grimacing when his hair wet the back of his shirt. When he was finished he walked out the bathroom to the living room where he saw Allen dusting of all things.

He raised an eyebrow and she gave him a slightly embarrassed look. "I'm not a clean freak! It's just, well I figure that we're stealing his water and the least we could do is keep his place clean." Allen explained quietly before she put down the duster she had been using and went to the bathroom to take her own shower.

When he heard the shower turn on, he began dusting where Allen left off. He gently wiped the numerous paintings that hung on the wall, briefly wondering if the owner of the house had painted them all. He also wondered what the owner of the house would do**,** if he knew that homeless people were using his shower. Then again it was his own damn fault for leaving the balcony door unlocked.

As soon as he heard the shower turn off, Kanda placed the duster back where Allen had set it down and sat on the couch, an impatient look on his face. A few minutes later, Allen walked out, holding a brush in her hand and her platinum hair flat from being brushed, making it look longer than it really was.

"Hey can I brush your hair?" She asked shyly and Kanda gave her a surprised look before nodding unsurely. She gave him a grin before she sat behind him, gathering all his black hair back and began to brush his hair gently, taking care not to yank or pull.

"Your hair is so smooth and long." Allen commented and Kanda tried not to blush at such a blatant compliment.

"Why don't you grow your hair? People will think you're a guy if you keep your hair so short." Kanda asked, hoping he didn't offend her.

"Sometimes it's better to be mistaken for a boy. The streets could be especially dangerous for a homeless girl." Allen explained with a dark undertone in her voice and Kanda chose to ignore the implications of what she said.

"Is that why you use a guy's name?" Allen chuckled slightly at the question.

"No, that's my real name. My parents were drunkards that couldn't tell the difference between a boy and a girl. I suppose I could use a different name but I've grown rather fond of it."

"It suites you." Kanda commented after he realized that just because Allen was girl she didn't necessarily act like one. She didn't care if she was dirty or had to sleep on a cold floor, she didn't complain, she climbed that tree with a lot of skill and she didn't take hour long showers like some of the girls Kanda had known. She wasn't anything like any of the prissy girls Kanda was forced to hang out with.

"You're the first person to say that." Allen told him quietly before she stopped brushing. Kanda was about to move away when he felt her begin to gather his hair, save for some hair on the sides of his head, and began to tie it with a rubber band. "There, all done." She announced looking at her work proudly. She went back to the bathroom to put away the brush, making sure to pull all the strands of hair from the brush's bristles so the owner wouldn't notice.

"Do you steal?" Kanda asked her when she returned and she gave him a slightly guarded look.

"You would think that right, us being homeless and all but no, we try not to. Well obviously we do but we don't steal any more than we have to. We don't ever steal money or pickpocket though." She told him and Kanda couldn't help but feel a little shocked.

He had always thought of homeless people in a negative way, partly because of how society treated them and how his parents would mock them. He had thought them as dirty, unhappy, stupid, not to be trusted and would take any opportunity to steal whatever they could get their hands on (Not true views, this is just how he used to think of them). But here Allen was, showing him how wrong he had been.

"Come on, we need to get food." Allen informed him, yanking him onto the balcony. It was a lot harder to climb down the tree than it was to climb up but once again Allen just watched him quietly and unhurriedly until he was on the ground beside her.

"How do we steal?" Kanda asked with a bit of trepidation. He had never stolen before.

"Well, it's a bit complicated, at least the way we do it. We never steal too much from one store so we have to go to a bunch of different stores to gather enough food. If we steal too much from one store the store owner will get upset and start to complain. You have to remember, if we cause too much of a disturbance then the city will take notice of us and try to get rid of us." Allen said.

"Oh." Kanda responded and Allen gave him a reassuring look, sensing his nervousness as they moved down the street.

"It's a lot to take in but you'll get the hang of it soon enough, everyone does eventually." She said.

"Will you be the one who teaches me everything?" Kanda asked, not wanting another teacher.

"Only if you want me to." Allen told him giving him an anxious look like she was scared that he didn't want her teaching him.

"Che, it would be bothersome to get another teacher." Kanda stated and the look melted away as she began to laugh.

"Come on, we should hurry! We need to be back by noon!" Allen announced before she grabbed Kanda's hand and began to run quickly.

"Oi, moyashi!" Kanda blurted out, caught off guard. He nearly slammed into Allen when she suddenly stopped.

"What did you call me?" Allen demanded with a quizzical look.

"Moyashi." Kanda repeated with a smirk.

"What does that mean?" Allen asked impatiently.

"Beansprout." Kanda responded, his smirk growing when Allen let out an indignant cry.

"I'm not that short!" Allen walked right up to Kanda to measure herself against him and Kanda snorted when they both realized that he was a full head taller than her. "Shut up! I'm still growing!" Allen shouted rather loudly before she stomped off and Kanda wondered if she realized that she was still holding his hand.

"You keep telling yourself that moyashi." Kanda said and she turned around, giving him a wicked look that foreshadowed that something bad was going to happen.

"You're not the only one who knows some Japanese insults. In fact I know of one that's awfully close to your name. I wonder what would happen if I combine the two words…"

"Don't you dare-"

"BAKANDA!" Allen shouted and Kanda let out a savage snarl. Allen let go of Kanda's hand in favor of running for her life.

"Get back here you damn moyashi!" Kanda growled trying to get the girl but she always managed to stay just out of reach.

"Bakanda!" Allen taunted, squeaking when Kanda almost grabbed the back of her shirt. Kanda lunged at the girl, slamming into her harder than he meant to sending them both sprawling on the concrete ground. Kanda immediately leapt up, scared that he had hurt her but she just smiled and stood up not even noticing the numerous scraps she had received. "Alright, let's call it truce." Allen suggested lightly and Kanda rolled his eyes.

"Che."

"Come on, we'll go to this store," Allen pointed to a large grocery store that had displays of fruit outside. "Go in but don't look suspicious. I'll distract the owner and you grab as much cans of food you can fit in your pocket. Don't get caught and if you do run as fast as you can."

"What about you?" Kanda asked, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible.

"I can take care of myself. Just worry about getting out of there if it comes to that." Allen responded before she entered the store, an innocent look spreading across her face. Kanda watched her carefully as she walked to the store owner who seemed like a grumpy old man. She began to talk to him, Kanda being too far to hear what she was saying, and soon the man's grumpy expression turned into one of amusement.

Deciding to stop wasting time watching, Kanda discreetly looked around to see if anyone was watching and he subtly stuffed a couple of cans of spam and corn and a small jar of peanut butter in his pants, happy that he had chosen to wear his baggy pants with all these pockets the day his parents had abandoned him. He glanced quickly at Allen who was still chatting enthusiastically with the store owner before he slipped out the store.

Not knowing what to do next he walked down the block in the direction of the abandoned building and waited for her to come out. He didn't have to wait very long, in a matter of minutes she was out the store with a small smile.

"What did you say to him?" Kanda asked as they walked down the street, looking for another store.

"The thing with old people is that they often have many stories in their heads but no one to tell it too. More often than not, they are always looking for someone to talk to like me," Allen explained. "All I had to do was start a small conversation and he started telling me about when he was in a war when he was younger."

"Ah." Kanda replied.

The two managed to steal from two other stores using the same technique before they headed back to the old building. By the time they reached the old run down place, everyone, at least it looked like everyone there was too many people to be sure, was there sitting in a large circle with all the food they had gathered in the center. Kanda nervously placed the food he had stole in the middle and sat in the circle, shifting so he was closer to Allen than the kid on his other side.

After a few minutes to make sure everyone was there one of the adults began to grab the food and pass it around the circle until everyone had an equal amount of food, which wasn't much. Kanda himself only had a few pieces of spam and a look to his left told him that Allen was in the same situation as him.

It didn't really matter that it wasn't much though, anything was better than nothing. As he ate slowly, savoring the salty meat and trying to make it last, he noticed a couple of kids beside Allen looking at their empty hand regretfully, already having eaten their share of food. Allen had apparently noticed too because she began to groan lightly and rub her stomach like she was full.

"I can't eat another bite!" She exclaimed and the two kids looked at her pleadingly. "Hey, why don't you two help me eat these?"

"Okay!" The kids chimed, taking the pieces of meat and Kanda snorted, wondering how they could be so gullible. He elbowed Allen and handed her his last piece of spam, refusing to accept it back when she tried.

"Kanda this is your share of food, I can't accept this!" Allen hissed so the kids beside her didn't overhear.

"If you don't shut up and eat it I'll tell those two that you lied." Kanda retorted in an equally quiet tone albeit a bit more harshly.

"You wouldn't." Allen said with a glare.

"Try me moyashi." Allen growled but Kanda wasn't sure if it was out of defeat or because of the insult. Either way she began to eat the piece of spam making him smirk triumphantly.

"Jerk." Allen whispered with a pout. Kanda decided not to reply to her comment and instead began to watch the kids romp about.

"Don't they have to go steal again?" Kanda asked uncertainly and Allen shook her head.

"No, that's just for the first half of the day. Dinner is given to us. You'll see later on," Allen explained. "Usually in the afternoon until evening everyone wonders around, play around here or go treasure hunting."

"Treasure hunting?" Kanda asked and Allen chuckled at his confused look.

"Yeah, I made up this game where the kids go look around the city to try to find something cool. It could be anything, an old toy or piece of cool looking junk and they bring it back here. Whoever finds the coolest thing wins a prize which is usually extra food." Allen explained as she stood up and stretched.

"Is that what we're going to do?" Kanda asked with a frown. It sounded like a good game but it was kind of childish. Allen chuckled and shook her head.

"No, it's mainly for the smaller kids to take their minds off the fact that their homeless. I was thinking of walking around the city." She informed him with a soft smile.

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><p>Wow, this story is flowing really well for me. I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter ^-^<p>

Anonymous or replied to people who have P.M's disabled:

Stocking: Thank you for the review I appreciate it!

: Thank you for reviewing despite the difficulty you were having. I hope it gets fixed soon ^-^


	3. Chapter 3

Beta'd by the incredable In a silent night

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><p>Kanda had to admit it was a beautiful city, probably having to do with the fact that it was the city where the government resided in. His parents had driven him all the way to it, nearly a two day trip, so he wouldn't be able to find his way back home. Not that he would even try, hell he was actually beginning to like his life more than when he had a home. Ah, the irony.<p>

"How long have you been abandoned?" Kanda asked Allen who hummed in thought.

"Give or take 4 years," Allen replied after a while. "It's hard to keep track of time when you don't own a calendar. What about you?"

"Only 2 days." Kanda answered and Allen gave him a grim look.

"All this must be very hard to adjust to then." Allen said softly and Kanda shrugged.

"Not as hard as you may think. I didn't particularly like my life before this," Kanda saw Allen's curious look and sighed before he elaborated. "They wanted a perfect son but instead they got me. I couldn't do right in their eyes and they tried everything, and I do mean everything, to make me how they wanted me to be but nothing they did worked. One day I snapped and yelled at them in the middle of a dinner party and immediately after that they abandoned me here."

"Wow, your parents sucked." Allen commented and Kanda nearly laughed at the simplicity of her statement. He was glad that she didn't shower him with pity.

"What were your parents like? Aside from being drunkards I mean."

"Well, they weren't around much but there was this man who lived next door who looked after me. He basically raised me and taught me everything I needed to know and more. He died though, I'm not sure how, and after that I ran away," Allen let out a soft bitter laugh. "I still wonder if my parents have noticed that I'm gone yet or if they're too drunk."

Kanda looked at Allen and wondered how someone could not miss her presence nevermind not notice it was gone. He had only known her for a very short while but he already knew that if she were to disappear he would miss her.

"My parents weren't the only ones who were idiots." Kanda stated, giving her the same courtesy of not giving her pity and Allen gave him a wry smile.

They walked in silence for a while. Not in awkward silence or because they had nothing to say to each other but it was more of a companionable peace, both feeling connected in a way that couldn't be explained. Of course, silence was meant to be broken.

"Allen!" A voice yelled, shattering the peace. Kanda swung around and saw a boy running toward them with a huge grin. He had ruby red hair that stood up on end thanks to a green bandana he wore around his head, one emerald green eye, the other being covered in an eye patch and he wore black ragged clothes.

"Lavi!" Allen cried and much to Kanda's chagrin, the two hugged. "Oh, I was so worried that you had been taken." Allen said softly, as she let the redhead go.

"Awww, I'm too smart for that!" Lavi gloated and Kanda cleared his throat to remind them of his presence.

"Oh, Kanda! This is Lavi, Lavi this is Kanda." Allen introduced a bit flustered.

"What did you mean 'taken'?" Kanda inquired, ignoring the hand that Lavi offered to him to shake and he noticed the sad look that appeared in Allen's eyes.

"Homeless people have been disappearing lately, being kidnapped when there are no witnesses. There's so many rumors floating about, but the biggest one is that there's an organization who wants to overtake the government and it's taking homeless kids to experiment on them, so they could be made into soldiers." Kanda snorted, but when Lavi's serious look remained he realized that the redhead wasn't joking.

"That's the stupidest thing that I've ever heard." Kanda commented and Lavi shrugged as he placed a comforting hand on Allen's shoulder.

"Whatever, it's just a rumor but that doesn't change the fact that there are kids missing."

"Why don't you just tell the police or something?"

"They won't listen to us and even if they did what could they do?" Allen replied quietly with a bit of bitterness in her voice. "We're just street rats to them and no one really cares if we go missing. Hell, it would probably make people happy."

"Oh." Kanda responded lamely knowing that there was no good reply to what Allen told him.

"Well, let's get off this depressing matter!" Lavi suggested cheerfully as he clapped his hands and Allen gave him a stern look.

"Alright, let's talk about why you disappeared for an entire week without a single word!" Allen demanded poking Lavi with every word.

"Ah Allen! I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Something came up but look I got you a few things to make up for it!" Lavi pulled of the bag he had been wearing and opened it, revealing some clothes and a jumbo pack of crayons. "Everything that you requested."

"Thank you Lavi!" Allen exclaimed, her earlier anger forgotten.

"I'll go drop it off. You two enjoy your date!" Lavi ran off before he was punched or kicked, running quickly enough to remind Kanda of a rabbit being chased by a wolf or fox.

"Fucking Usagi." Kanda muttered under his breath and Allen gave him a quizzical look.

"What does that mean?" Allen asked when Kanda didn't explain.

"It means rabbit." Kanda replied, smirking smugly when Allen started laughing.

"That suites him!" Allen replied between peals of laughter.

"What is Lavi to you? And what did he mean by 'everything you requested?'" Kanda inquired when Allen settled down.

"He's a good friend, one of my oldest." Allen replied with a curious look. "As for the request thing, Lavi somehow gets things that we need so if you need anything he's the one to ask. We don't know how he gets the stuff, he refuses to tell us."

"Che." Kanda responded but for some unfathomable reason he couldn't help but feel satisfied that Lavi and Allen were just friends.

"Hey Kanda, look!" Allen said as she pointed at several flattened boxes that were leaning against the back of a store. Kanda tried his best to figure out what was so exciting about a bunch of cardboard boxes but he couldn't figure it out.

He followed her hesitantly and when she was about to pick them up the door to the store opened and a mean looking man came out carrying more boxes with him. He glanced around and when he spotted them he gave them a glare.

"Please sir, may we have these boxes?" Allen asked and the store owner looked like he was about to say no, even though he probably didn't have any use for them. He looked like the type to say no, just because he could. Coming to the same conclusion, Allen's eyes went wide and shiny and tears appeared in the corners of her eyes. Only a psychopath would be able to say no to a face like that.

"Fine, whatever, but I'm not helping you carry them!" The man answered gruffly, and Allen smiled happily.

"Yes, of course! Thank you very much sir." She said before she picked up as many boxes as she could. Kanda rolled his eyes and picked up the rest of them, including the ones the store owner had just carried out.

"Has anyone ever called you manipulative?" Kanda asked as they made their way back to their building. Allen gave him an obviously fake, hurt look.

"No, why?" Allen asked innocently and Kanda rolled his eyes again.

"What the hell are you going to do with all these boxes anyway?"

"You'll see!"

When they finally arrived at the building with sore arms from carrying the boxes Allen began to unfold them, making sure that the top flaps leaned against each other like the roof of a house. She lined all the boxes around the building, earning curious looks from the people who were also in the building, before she took the last one to a corner after she grabbed the box of crayons, Lavi had brought over.

Kanda decided to leave her alone with her lunacy and went to explore the building. He went up the stairs where Mei-Ling had gone up last night being cautious, since the stairs creaked ominously. When he got upstairs he found himself in a small attic like place, with a few boxes lying around with cans and jars of food, blankets and clothes.

Bending over a box of clothes with a clipboard in her arms was a girl around his age. She had long black hair that was tied into twin ponytails, gentle black eyes and a pale complexion. He was about to leave quietly when he stepped on a creaky floorboard and the girl swung around with a startled gasp.

"Oh, hello! I've never seen you before. My name is Lenalee."

"Kanda." He replied with his guard up. He still wasn't comfortable with meeting new people despite having to sleep in the same building with them.

"Did you just come here?" She asked curiously putting her clipboard down.

"Yes, yesterday night."

"Let me guess, Allen found you." Lenalee giggled when Kanda gave her a surprised look. "Allen does that a lot. Half of the kids here were brought in by her."

"Oh." Kanda responded, feeling a bit disappointed that he was just another kid to Allen.

"So who's your instructor?" Lenalee asked, not noticing Kanda's put off look.

"Instructor?"

"Yeah, who is showing you the ropes?"

"I guess Allen is." Kanda replied, frowning when Lenalee gaped at him like he had said something rather shocking.

"Wow, she rarely, no never, does that. She always asks someone else to do it." Kanda's earlier disappointment disappeared and he suddenly felt smug. He heard someone coming up the stairs and he turned around to see Komui entering the room. The Chinese man gave him a glare, which Kanda easily returned.

"You ruffian! You were planning to violate my Lenalee!" Komui shrieked, not shouted but shrieked, making Kanda flinch.

"Brother! We were just talking!" Lenalee groaned, giving Kanda an apologetic look.

"This idiot is your brother?" Kanda snarled as he inched away from the clearly unstable man.

"Unfortunately."

Komui gave his sister a hurt look, tears running down his face. "Lenalee! You're so cruel."

"Right, I'm getting out of here." Kanda informed them, before he cautiously and slowly went around the psychotic man like he was a dangerous anime and practically ran down the stairs. When he got downstairs he saw all the little kids around her and the teenagers and adults watching them with amusement. Beside Allen was the cardboard box she had taken only she had drawn pictures of clowns all over it.

"Okay everyone we have a special treat today. We have…" Allen paused for effect. "Treasure chests! Whenever you find something that you like or think is cool you can put it in this box and store them forever! You can decorate it however you want to, with the crayons that Lavi has gotten for us!"

The kids cheered and ran to a box. Luckily there was just enough for everyone. The crayons that Lavi had gotten had to be broken into several pieces, in order for everyone to have a piece and there was surprisingly, very little squabble over the different colors.

"Che, I don't see what the big deal is." Kanda muttered to himself, and he heard a chuckle beside him. He looked beside him to see one of the adults standing beside him. He had no hair except a braid at the back of his head, glazed blue eyes that generally indicated blindness, and he had a big build.

"It may not seem like much but Allen's goal was to distract the kids from their lives. It's hard to remember that you're homeless, when you're having fun." The adult explained and Kanda frowned, still not quite getting it.

"Che, whatever." Kanda replied, as he shrugged his shoulders even though he knew the adult wouldn't see it.

"My name is Marie."

"I'm Kanda." The dark haired boy responded as he watched Allen help a kid draw a horse on his box. "I don't get why she tries so hard to make them happy when she could be doing better things with her life."

"It's just who she is. She's a light to them." Marie explained, and Kanda grunted before he walked away, stomping his feet slightly so Marie knew he was leaving. He joined Allen who gave him a happy grin, obviously pleased with the fact that her plan had worked and everyone was happy.

"Are you going to help me draw a pony?" Allen asked childishly and Kanda rolled his eyes.

"Why the fuck-" Kanda let out an indignant squawk when Allen hit him over the head with a scolding look. "What the fuck-" Again he was hit over the head before he finished his sentence.

"Don't swear in front of the kids!" Allen sternly said, and Kanda gave her a scowl. Who the hell was she to tell him what to do? "Don't give me that look! If they learn to swear they'll never stop!"

"Whatever." Kanda replied coldly and Allen sighed as she shook her head in exasperation.

"Oooh what's this? A lovers' quarrel?" Lavi asked as he appeared from out of nowhere and he narrowly avoided Kanda's punch.

"Lavi, you really should stop teasing." Allen scolded lightly although the laughter in her eyes showed that she didn't really mind.

"Awww but it's so fun!" Lavi joked, as he patted Allen's hair making her pout. "Anyways, what's your full name Kanda?"

"None of your business!" Kanda snarled at the same time as Allen replied with "Yu Kanda."

"Yu? Interesting name." Lavi commented mischievously with a playful grin that promised trouble.

"Why the hell did you tell him moyashi?" Kanda barked.

"Don't call me that Bakanda!" Allen retorted.

"Awww you're so cute! You even have pet names for each other!" Lavi cooed and once again he had to avoid a punch.

"Stupid usagi!" Kanda snarled cursing the fact that Lavi was quick.

"Why don't you go see Lenalee?" Allen suggested tiredly and Lavi's expression turned somber.

"Komui's with her." Lavi explained and Kanda's face turned sour.

"Ah, well he's just being protective." Allen defended and both Kanda and Lavi snorted at the same time.

"He's psychotic." The two muttered at the same time and they gave each other surprised looks. Allen chuckled happy that the boys finally agreed on something, even if it was the lunacy that was Lenalee's brother.

"Allen?" The white haired girl looked and saw Mei-Ling giving her a shy look. "Is it time for dinner yet? The sun is setting."

"Oh yes!" Allen exclaimed, surprised that she had lost track of time. "Okay everyone time for dinner! You know what to do!" Allen called and everyone began piling out of the building.

"Where are we going?" Kanda asked and Allen gave him a smile.

"You'll just have to wait and see." She said mysteriously and Kanda sighed, wishing that she would just give him a straight answer. He hated surprises. He followed everyone down the streets and into different alley ways until they stopped at the back of a restaurant. They all lined up quietly, Kanda and Allen being the last couple people and Kanda watched as food was given to the kids in the front of the line.

"They're just giving us food?" Kanda asked in surprise, as the line began to move up.

"Yeah. You see in a lot of stores and restaurants they have food that will go bad the next day. So instead of throwing away good food, they give it to us." Allen explained. "I'm glad for it, it means less stealing for us." Allen added wistfully.

Kanda nodded and waited curiously as they approached the window slowly. Soon he was standing in front of the window and a man looked at him expectantly. He had odd purple hair with tight braids, narrow sunglasses despite the fact it wasn't that bright and he wore a chef's uniform.

"What can I get you, honey?" Kanda wanted to kill the man for calling him honey, but his stomach growled and he decided that his stomach was more important than his pride.

"Do you have soba?" The man nodded, before he stepped away from the window presumably to get the food. Seconds later the man returned with soba and he handed it to Kanda who nodded gratefully to him.

"Hi Jerry!" Allen greeted as she stepped in front of the window with an excited grin on her face.

"Good evening Allen! What'll it be?"

"I think I'll have the usual."

"Two burgers and large fries coming right up!" Jerry announced before he left the window again. Kanda gave the girl an incredulous look.

"Two burgers? You sure you can eat that much?"

"Yep! I have a huge appetite!" Allen said a little embarrassed. She took the paper plate Jerry handed to her and Kanda eyed the huge burgers. There was no way she could eat both of them and the large fries. Kanda followed Allen back to the old building and sat down beside her as everyone began to eat. Kanda enjoyed his soba, he had thought that he would never eat his favorite meal again and was surprised that Jerry had even known how to make it.

When he finished the delicious meal, he looked over at Allen's plate, nearly choking on his own saliva, when he saw her plate was empty. He looked up and saw her eat the last French fry she had. Apparently she hadn't been lying when she said she could eat everything. Hell, she had more food than he had and she had finished when he had. Allen noticed Kanda's shocked look and blushed abashedly.

Kanda snorted and watched as everyone began to pile their paper plates or bowls in a neat pile and put it in a garbage bag. He put his own bowl in the bag and watched as Allen stretched and yawned tiredly. Mei-Ling approached them, a little worn out picture book in her arms. She pulled on Allen's dirty clothes to grab her attention.

"Allen, will you read us a bedtime story." Allen smiled as she patted the little girl's head and took the picture book from her.

"Of course."

"Yay! Hey everyone, Allen's reading us a bedtime story!" Mei-Ling announced and all the little kids scrambled to grab their blankets from the pile and hurriedly lay down in a huddled circle. Even the teenagers and adults watched Allen in amusement as she opened the book and began to read. Kanda had to admit, her voice was smooth and light even when she changed it whenever a character spoke. Something about it made the atmosphere more relaxed and soothing.

Even before she finished the story, quite a few kids fell asleep and Kanda noticed an adult or two start to doze off. Allen quietly closed the book when she finished reading and yawned as she turned to Kanda who yawned with her.

"I'm going to sleep," Allen informed him as she rubbed her eyes. Kanda nodded and got them both a blanket to share. They both laid down beside each other, not so close that it was awkward, but close enough to feel each other's body heat. "Goodnight Kanda." She said sleepily before she closed her eyes.

"Night." Kanda responded before he did the same. It had been a pretty weird day. Full of unpredictable events and psychotic and annoying people, but he felt that if this was going to be the rest of his life, he wouldn't mind.

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><p>Please review! The more reviews I get the more motivated I am!<p> 


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